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Table 1 Baseline characteristics of khat chewers per tobacco use status (n = 204)

From: The likelihood of khat chewing serving as a neglected and reverse ‘gateway’ to tobacco use among UK adult male khat chewers: a cross sectional study

Variable

STKUd(n = 42) N (%) or Mean ± SD

Daily cigarette smoker chewers (n = 91) N (%) or Mean ± SDa

Khat chewers only (n = 71) N (%) or Mean ± SD

Age

38.12 ± 14.05

40.36 ± 17.84

53.55 (21.85)

Marital status

   

Married

34 (81.0)

62 (68.1)

61 (85.9)

In other status

8 (19.0)

29 (31.9)

10 (14.1)

Employment

   

Employed

19 (45)

32 (35.2)

21 (26.9)

Unemployed

23 (55)

59 (64.8)

50 (70.4)

Education

   

High level

20 (48)

32 (35.2)

18 (25.4)

Low level

22 (52)

59 (64.8)

53 (74.6)

Social participation

42 ± 18.90

40.00 ± 21

42.34 ± 17.93

Daily time of chewing khat

   

1-3 PM

19 (45.2)

37 (40.7)

36 (50.7)

After 3 PM

23 (54.8)

54 (59.3)

35 (49.3)

Former daily tobacco use

   

No

11 (26)

------------------

------------------

Yes

31 (74)

  

Initiator of tobacco smoking

   

Social (e.g. friends)

23 (54.76)

81 (89.01)

------------------

Environmental (khat setting)

19 (45.24)

10 (10.99)

 

Ever tried quitting khat chewing

   

No

19 (45.2)

47 (51.6)

30 (42.3)

Yes

23 (54.8)

44 (48.4)

41 (57.7)

Ever tried quitting TS b when chewing

   

No

12 (28.6)

------------------

------------------

Yes

30 (71.4)

  

Age starting khat chewing

19.50 ± 5.48

18 ± 6.00

19.36 ± 7.11

Days chewing per week

2.67 ± 1.79

3.30 ± 2.08

2.72 ± 1.90

Hours chewing per session

6.08 ± 1.95

6.00 ± 2.09

5.52 ± 1.81

Khat amount per session in bundle

1.85 ± 1.05

1.51 ± 0.50

1.37 ± 0.50

Cigarettes smoked per session

15.07 ± 10.33e

21.04 ± 13.36

-----------------

Own waterpipe smoked per session

2.89 ± 1.96

-----------------------

----------------

Attempts to quit TS b when chewing

2.77 ± 1.94

-----------------------

----------------

Attempts to quit khat chewing

3.13 ± 2.07

4.20 ± 4.44

3.63 ± 2.92

CO PPM scores

16 ± 15.66

20.53 ± 12.12

-----------------

SDS-khat scores

5.36 ± 4.38

5.08 ± 3.57

6.16 ± 4.35

DSM-IV scores

1.42 ± 1.87

1.60 ± 1.84

1.92 ± 2.10

Chewing even ill

   

No

29 (69.0)

50 (54.9)

46 (64.8)

Yes

13 (31.0)

41 (45.1)

25 (35.2)

Smoke more in the first hours of chewing

   

No

25 (59.5)

55 (60.4)

----------------

Yes

17 (40.5)

36 (39.6)

 

Chew more in the first two hours

   

No

31 (73.8)

65 (71.4)

31 (43.7)

Yes

11 (26.2)

26 (28.6)

40 (56.3)

Easy/difficult not chewing the whole week

   

Easy

30 (71.4)

53 (58.2)

37 (52.1)

Difficult

12 (28.6)

38 (41.8)

34 (47.9)

Want to quit chewing

   

No

19 (45.2)

47 (51.6)

44 (62.0)

Yes

23 (54.8)

44 (48. 4)

27 (38.0)

Health conditions c

   

No

30 (71.4)

62 (68.1)

35 (49.3)

Yes

12 (28.6)

29 (31.9)

36 (50.7)

  1. aSD, Standard deviation; bTS, tobacco smoking; chealth conditions = heart problems, diabetic and asthma; dSTKU = simultaneous tobacco and khat users; ea combination of cigarette and waterpipe tobacco smoker (WPTS) chewers considered for 1 participant from Group1 and 2 participants from Group 2, mean/SD of only cigarette smoked when excluded cigarette and WPTS chewers was 15.84±10.54.